Betty Lynn Had a Los Angeles Home but Lived in Mount Airy
Betty Lynn built a modest net worth from her successful Hollywood career, which also earned her several awards and honors.
Oct. 18 2021, Published 8:14 a.m. ET
Betty Lynn died in Oct. 2021. The actress starred in The Andy Griffith Show as Thelma Lou, the girlfriend of deputy sheriff Barney Fife. What was Lynn’s net worth? Where did the actress live, and was she married?
Betty Lynn
American actress and star in The Andy Griffith Show as Barney Fife’s girlfriend Thelma Lou.
Net worth: $3 million
Betty Lynn was an American actress who starred in several films. She became popular after playing the role of Barney Fife's girlfriend Thelma Lou in The Andy Griffith Show in 1960s. She received several awards and honors.
Birth date: August 29, 1926
Birth place: Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Birth name: Elizabeth Ann Theresa Lynn
Mother: Elizabeth Ann Lynn, singer
Education: Kansas City Conservatory of Music
The Andy Griffith Museum in North Carolina announced the death of Lynn on Oct. 16, saying she died after a short illness. The popular actress behind the Thelma Lou character was born on Aug. 29, 1926, in Kansas City, Mo.
Betty Lynn built a net worth of $3 million from a successful Hollywood career
Lynn had a fortune estimated at $3 million, a result of many years of a successful acting career. In addition to films, the actress appeared on television and radio shows. For her role as Thelma Lou in The Andy Griffith Show, Lynn earned just $500 per show because she never had a contract. She appeared in 26 episodes of Andy Griffith’s popular sitcom.
Lynn began her career on radio, singing, and doing drama from the age of 5. At the age of 18, she joined United Service Organizations (USO) entertainment and went on to perform in many shows for troops. The USO tours took Lynn to China, Burma, and India. The appearance in Broadway comedy Park Avenue led to Lynn being signed by Fox, and she went on to star on several films.
Lynn’s successful acting career not only brought her money but also earned her several honors. In 2007, she was inducted into the Missouri Walk of Fame. In 2016, she received the highest civilian honor in North Carolina, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. She also won many awards.
Betty Lynn was never married but she was once engaged
In the film Return to Mayberry, Lynn’s character Thelma Lou got married to Barney Fife. In real-life, however, Lynn was never got married although she was once engaged.
Where did actress Betty Lynn live and who were her parents?
Lynn lived in a retirement home in Mount Airy, N.C. She had a home in Los Angeles before moving to Mount Airy. At her Los Angeles home, the actress lived with her mother and grandparents.
Lynn’s mother, Elizabeth Ann Lynn, was a singer. Elizabeth mother taught her daughter also to sing, even taking her to the Kansas City Conservatory of Music. Little is known about Lynn’s father, except that he divorced Elizabeth when Betty was only 5. With the father not there, Lynn’s grandfather, George Andrew Lynn, helped raise her. Apart from the Los Angeles house the actress bought in 1950s, little is known about Lynn’s net worth.
